Recently, we have had several inquiries regarding how the proposed implementation of RDA will affect LTI authority control procedures. While conference programs and other discussions of RDA over the past several years have been widespread, at this time there is insufficient information about its implementation for LTI to make decisions concerning what specific changes will be needed. The Library of Congress's own evaluation of the new rules does not end until March of 2011. The few RDA authority records that have been issued are for testing purposes only.
LTI will not move forward with any changes until LC has finished its evaluation and final decisions have been made about if, when, and how RDA is to be implemented. Presently, all authorized forms are formulated in accord with AACR2 and LC cataloging practices, along with LTI's own AACR2-based supplemental files and tables. Should RDA be accepted and changes occur, LTI processing will continue to be based on national library usage, as opposed to the simple issuance of new rules. When the library community is ready to embrace RDA, be assured that LTI will be there to assist. Authority Update Processing (AUP) clients already know that from a processing perspective, we can quickly and easily respond to global heading changes.
Clients will be kept informed through the LTI-Users' electronic mailing list and postings on the News page of our website. Feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments.